By Mark Pukalo
Where do the Tampa Bay Lightning go from here?
The narrative of four straight seasons losing in the first round of the playoffs is a bit overblown. They outplayed Toronto in 2023, but couldn't hold a few late leads. They lost to the eventual Cup champions Florida Panthers in 24 and 25. This time, the Bolts were beaten by two bad bounces in Game 7 versus Montreal.
The run caused several ridiculous comments on twitter after the season. Yes, going deep in the playoffs is a standard the franchise has built. Still, Lightning fans have become quite spoiled. There are 31 other teams in the league. Some of them do most things right like the Bolts.
Let's look at the overall numbers. It's nine straight trips to the playoffs with two Stanley Cups, three trips to the finals and four Eastern Conference finals. The 106 points total this season was their most since the last Cup run in 2021 and they were ravaged with injuries. Yes, Buffalo, Jon Cooper sure deserved the Jack Adams!
Many franchises would kill for that nine-year stretch.
That all being said, this offseason could be different. In the past three, it was cap issues and tweaks for the most part. Sure, the Steven Stamkos decision was a big one. But Jake Guentzel for Stammer is - at the very worst - a wash.
Does GM Julien Brisebois have something big up his sleeve or just a few smart additions to keep this group in the hunt?
This is the first time the team probably needed a serious autopsy. There are some very big questions to answer for 2026-27.
Will Point Return to Form?
Brayden Point scored just 18 goals in 63 games during the regular season and one in the first round of the playoffs on 12 shots.
In the previous three seasons, the speedy center averaged 46.3 goals.
Brisebois will have to answer the question of whether Point can rebound from an off season. Was this an aberration or is it injury related? Point certainly looked like he was skating alright near the end of the season and in the playoffs. He just wasn't producing anywhere near the same level.
The Lightning brass may just have to see next season with four years at $9.5 million left on a contract that would be hard to move at this stage. I'm sure Brisebois will listen if someone blows him away with an offer, though.
Can Hedman Be a Factor Again?
We found out after the season that captain Victor Hedman was dealing with mental health issues the last few months.
Victor is one of the best professional athletes I have dealt with in 40+ years of journalism. It took a lot of courage to do what he did. While they make a lot of money, athletes are people, too. I am confident he will be back at 100 percent next September.
Hedman is 35 and Ryan McDonagh is 36. They are winners. They are leaders. I expect them to return close to their 2024-25 form when Hedman had 66 points and McDonagh was +43. Heck, Ryan was good in 48 games this last season.
I'm predicting Heddy would win Comeback Player of the Year. ... if there was one. Maybe the Masterson instead?
Who Plays The Right Side On D?
Darren Raddysh is gone and that was predictable. Raddy had a great season, but it was just one and that does not make him worth $68 million the next eight years.
That leaves Eric Cernak and Max Crozier as the only right-handed defensemen on the NHL roster. Lefties JJ Moser and Emil Lilleberg have played the right side and did the job, but you wonder if JB goes big or just adds depth.
Veteran righty John Carlson has been prominently mentioned and it sounds like a decent idea with Raddy's power-play ability in Toronto. I'm not against bringing him in, but not at the numbers being reported. I'm a fan of Crozier, and Chucky D'Astous can team with Victor Hedman on the power play.
The feeling is Brisebois is going to do something, though. If anyone is traded, it would probably be Lilleberg to loosen up the crowded left side of the defense corps.
Who Are the Centers Of Attention?
Like the glut of lefty defensemen, the Lightning have many players whose best forward position is center.
You have Point, Anthony Cirelli, Dominic James, Yanni Gourde, Nick Paul and maybe Conor Geekie. Then, you add rookie Sam O'Reilly to the mix. O'Reilly, who was acquired from Edmonton for Isaac Howard, is expected to push for a spot in training camp.
No doubt, some of them can play the wing. But you may need to deal a center to get another scoring winger. While Gage Goncalves emerged in the second half of the year, ancient Corey Perry was playing in the top six during the Montreal series. Oliver Bjorkstrand won't likely be back. Another scoring winger would help.
You need to improve your faceoff percentage as well. Those guys don't grow on trees, though. O'Reilly has been good on the dot in juniors, but he is 20.
I might consider moving Geekie or Paul, but the return must be worthy.
Would love to get Robert Thomas from St. Louis somehow, but that might be too expensive. Not really interested in Dylan Larkin. We'll see what happens.
In Conclusion, What Do You Do?
It's hard to tell. I just wouldn't make panic moves and I'm confident Brisebois won't do that.
There have been some interesting off seasons in the past, but this may be the most important for the future. You wonder what prospects can emerge? Is Dylan Duke ready for full-time duty in the bottom six or can he be used in a deal?
Four straight first-round losses? I don't want to hear about it anymore. I will try to block out the national hockey media.
Here's two things that won't happen. Jon Cooper, Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy are going nowhere. I don't expect Hedman and Cirelli will be traded. Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel will end their careers here.
Have faith Lightning fans. I think a 10th straight trip to the playoffs is less than 12 months away. After that, as always, anything can happen.
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